Inside The Israel Lobby’s New $90 Million War Chest
Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
Internal AIPAC materials reveal huge gifts from moguls — and the strategies lobbyists used to score the cash.
by AMOS BARSHAD
In the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has reaped a $90 million fundraising haul, according to confidential internal documents reviewed by The Lever.
Large donations flowed as the influential pro-Israel lobbying group hosted a remobilized Israeli military official who reassured potential contributors that the country’s military was doing everything possible to mitigate civilian casualties in Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, according to donor-only meetings reviewed by The Lever.
From January to September 2023, the non-public documents show that AIPAC received an average of around $12 million in monthly pledged donations. By contrast, in October alone, the documents show that AIPAC received more than triple that amount — more than $40 million in pledged donations. In the following two months, donors pledged another nearly $50 million.
Top benefactors on a list of 2023 donors reviewed by The Lever represent a cross-section of the U.S. elite, including pro sports teams owners; heads of private equity firms; real estate titans; a Maryland congressman now running for the U.S. Senate; the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret; the co-founder of the dance-exercise company Zumba; and the creator of Squishmallows, the beloved children's toy.
The documents and list were provided by an internal AIPAC source. The Lever attempted to contact more than 75 of the individuals on the list of donors. Nine people confirmed to The Lever that they were AIPAC donors. Six additional individuals were listed as AIPAC board members in 2013, when the organization publicly disclosed its board. Seven other individuals on the list are publicly listed as being “involved in pro-Israel political giving” on a 2022 organization event page.
Prior to publication, The Lever showed AIPAC the information reported in this story. The organization responded with an emailed statement: “Much of the information here is either misstated, misinterpreted, inaccurate or illegitimately obtained. Since October 7, there has been a systematic effort by Israel’s detractors to harass, intimidate and silence supporters of the Jewish state. All detractors should know that their attacks only increase our determination to strengthen the US-Israel relationship.”
When The Lever asked AIPAC’s spokesperson to identify any inaccurate information, the organization did not respond. The Lever followed up three times before publication, but the spokesperson stopped responding.
Three individuals named on the list denied being donors. That includes Leonid Radvinsky, the billionaire owner of OnlyFans, a hugely popular internet platform dominated by sex workers. According to the internal documents, Radvinsky and his wife, Katie Chudnovsky, pledged $11 million to AIPAC — the most of anyone listed.
“I didn’t donate or pledge $11M,” Radvinsky wrote in an email, and “this appl[ies] to me / my foundation / my family.” When The Lever asked Radvinsky why AIPAC had him listed as a donor, Radvinsky replied, “I don’t know.” When The Lever asked Radvinsky to comment on internal AIPAC documentation showing a wire transfer from his wife to AIPAC, Radvinsky stopped responding.
After 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 others taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza. Since then, more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Miri Eisin, a retired but recently-remobilized Israeli colonel and a longtime AIPAC ally, declared during a donors-only virtual meeting in December that “Israel has done more than any military anywhere at any time in any war ever to try to save the civilians.”
“We’re doing everything right,” Eisin added. “We’re trying to save lives.”
According to military experts cited by The New York Times, the “pace of death during Israel’s campaign has few precedents in this century” and people are dying in Gaza faster than “even the deadliest moments of U.S.-led attacks in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.” While the majority of the combatants targeted by the Israeli military are men, nearly 70 percent of the dead are women and children.
The internal AIPAC information reviewed by The Lever constitutes a rare view inside a well-funded organization that has successfully pushed the U.S. government towards unconditional support of Israel for decades — and that is currently using its resources to lobby against a ceasefire that proponents say would alleviate suffering in Gaza.
AIPAC has already begun using its war chest to influence the 2024 election.
After Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) spoke in favor of a “negotiated regional ceasefire,” AIPAC sponsored ads claiming McCollum was “giving Hamas a lifeline.” AIPAC is attempting to “silence dissent by spreading lies,” McCollum said in response, adding “facts don’t matter to AIPAC and its extremist supporters.” Progressive groups working to oppose AIPAC believe the organization and its affiliated entities could ultimately spend $100 million in the 2024 cycle.
In January, Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind.-Vt.) proposed a resolution conditioning aid to Israel on the stipulation that the country would not violate human rights and international law in its attacks on Gaza. In an AIPAC donor-only meeting reviewed by The Lever, AIPAC President Michael Tuchin said Sanders was attempting to “undermine Israel’s security with a resolution baselessly accusing Israel of violating international law.” The attempt failed, garnering support from only 11 Senators.
In another donor-only meeting reviewed by The Lever, AIPAC made its election strategy clear. During the Nov. 29 event, an attendee asked AIPAC CEO Howard Kohr, “How do we encourage our members of Congress to stand up to some of the wildly inaccurate claims coming from the more pro-Hamas camp?”
“This won’t come as a surprise to anyone,” Kohr answered. “We are going to have to continue to demonstrate in even more dramatic ways that if you’re willing to stand with Israel when she’s at war and she needs America… we’re willing to help [you] politically.” As to those elected officials trying to “ensure that there’s a weakening of Israel at this moment,” Kohr said, they will have to be “defeated at the ballot box.”
Daniel Sundheim, founder of the investment firm D1 Capital Partners, pledged $2 million.
Milton Cooper, executive chairman of the real estate giant Kimco Realty, pledged $1 million.
Tony Ressler, co-founder of the asset management firm Ares and owner of the Atlanta Hawks, pledged $1 million.
Jonathan Gray, president of Blackstone Group, the world’s largest private equity firm, pledged $1 million. In an internal email sent to employees of Blackstone Group days after Oct. 7 and obtained by eJewishPhilanthropy, Gray and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwartzman wrote, “We will be there for [Israel] throughout this crisis. The Blackstone Charitable Foundation will be making a $3 million contribution to support humanitarian relief efforts. Additionally, we are each committing $1 million personally and other senior partners have already generously committed approximately $2 million.” In 2021, BlackStone opened an office in Israel to tap into the country’s tech industry. The head of the office, a former Israeli Defense Ministry lieutenant, told The Times of Israel that “All of a sudden Israel is ripe enough to be a relevant partner for an entity like Blackstone.”
Josh Harris, co-founder of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management and co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils, and the Washington Commanders, pledged $500,000.
Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO and current senior chairman of the investment bank Goldman Sachs, pledged $100,000.
Aside from finance and real estate, the list was an eclectic mix of powerful Americans.
Julie Platt, chair of the prominent Jewish Federations of North America and the actor Ben Platt’s mother, pledged $500,000.
Shlomo Rechnitz, reportedly California’s largest nursing-home operator, pledged $260,000. Last year, Rechnitz agreed to a settlement after being indicted on charges of Medicare fraud.
Judd Zebersky — founder of the toy company Jazwares, which makes the TikTok-beloved Squishmallows and claims “putting a smile on children’s faces is at the heart of everything we do” — pledged $250,000. In a LinkedIn post immediately following Oct. 7, Zebersky wrote, “Remember that Israel is fighting for its very existence. This is hitting close to home for many Jazmanians.”
Mark Penn, a long-time political operative, pledged $100,000. Penn is the CEO of the Stagwell Group, which owns the political consulting firm co-founded by President Biden’s senior adviser Anita Dunn. As Semafor has reported, recent polling done by a company owned by Stagwell has indicated widespread support from Americans for Hamas. That polling has been covered by media outlets around the world despite glaring indications that its methodology is deeply flawed.
Leslie Wexner, former CEO of Victoria’s Secret, pledged $100,000.
Alberto Perlman, co-founder of Zumba, pledged $100,000.
Reached via email, Tony Ressler declined to confirm or deny the information, writing, “Don’t want to be rude but please do as you wish... I don’t know you or your publication or organization... wishing you all the best.” The other individuals named above did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
One of the most prominent names on the list is Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), the owner of a massive liquor-store chain who is now running for a U.S. Senate seat. Trone has been an on-the-record AIPAC supporter for years. According to the list of AIPAC donors reviewed by The Lever, Trone pledged $100,000 last year. A Trone campaign spokesperson confirmed to The Lever that Trone was a “Minyan member”-level donor in 2023. “Minyan member” is AIPAC’s term for donors who pledge an annual sum of $100,000. (In Judaism, a “minyan” is the quorum of worshippers required for communal prayer.)